GB1563087A

GB1563087A - Tube cleaning tool

Info

Publication number: GB1563087A
Application number: GB2038378A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: ROTATOOLS Ltd
Current assignee: ROTATOOLS Ltd
Priority date: 1978-05-18
Filing date: 1978-05-18
Publication date: 1980-03-19

Description

(54) TUBE CLEANING TOOL (71) We, ROTATOOLS (UK) LIMITED, British Company of Brookfield Drive, Liverpool, L9 7EG, Merseyside, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to tools for cleaning the bores of tubes, and has for its object to provide an improved, self-expanding, rotary tool which will be especially useful in the removal of hard scale linings of the kind frequently found in the metal tubes of, for example, tubular boilers, tubular auxiliary plant (e.g. economisors, evaporators, condensers, juice heaters, coolers) and sugar processing plant.

Tube cleaning tools of the kind to which the invention relates are of course known, but such known tools suffer from a disadvantage, inter alia, in that the replacement of abrading elements when worn, and general refurbishing of the tool, is a time wasting relatively difficult operation which necessitates the tool being removed from its driving means. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a tool for cleaning the bores of tubes wherein refurbishing is facilitated to an extent such that cutter and other replacements can be made with the tool still attached to its drive means. A further object is to provide a tube cleaning tool which will be more resistant to damage than heretofore.

According to the invention a tool for cleaning the bores of tubes comprises a body uniformly arranged pairs of lugs extending radially from said body at or adjacent one end thereof, a spindle pivotally anchored on a pivot pin between each pair of said lugs, rotary cutter or other abrading elements replacably mounted on each of said spindles, a cylindrical boss formed or provided adjacent the other end of said body, radial recesses formed in said boss for receiving the free ends of said spindles, resilient elements for biassing said spindles outwardly about their pivot pins, a cover fitted over said boss to hold said spindle ends against the influence of said resilient elements, and said cover being rotatably located on said boss and having a slot or slots which is or are registrable with said spindles to free same.

Thus constructed, the spindles can readily be released to pivot about their pivot pins whereby the abrading elements mounted thereon can be removed for replacement.

Such pivotal movement of the spindles also releases the resilient elements which can readily be removed for replacement. Said resilient elements may consist of rubber or other resilient bushes of helical compression springs.

Preferably, means are provided for locking said cover in a position such that its slot or slots is or are out of register with said spindles. Such locking means may comprise a screw engaged within a screw-threaded radial bore formed in the cylindrical boss between two of its grooves, the arrangement being such that outward movement of the screw brings an outer portion of its head into the or a slot of said cover which is thus locked against rotational movement. It is arranged for inward movement of the screw to free the cover for rotational movement. Alternatively, said cover may be locked in position by means of a headed screw working in an arcuate slot formed in the end face of the cover and engaged in a screw-threaded axial bore of the boss.The arcuate slot is provided with a counter-sunk portion for receiving the head of the screw when tightened thereby to lock the cover against movement.

The invention is further described with the aid of the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example only, one embodiment.

In said drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tube clean ing tool according to the invention; Figure 2 is an end elevation as viewed from the left of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section as on line A-A of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a section as on line B-B of Figure 1.

Referring to said drawings, 10 denotes the body of the tool which is formed at its forward (in use) end with three pairs of uniformly spaced radial lugs 11, and between each pair of which is pivotally located on a releasable pivot pin 12 a spindle 13. Said spindles 13 each have rotatably mounted thereon a series (in this instance five) of abrading elements 14 the peripheries whereof are suitably grooved or roughened in accordance with the use and type of scale to be encountered. To maintain the pivot pins 12 in position, the end of the body 10 extends beyond the lugs and is screwthreaded as at 10a to receive a lock-nut 15 which holds in position an end plate 16 fitted over the end 10a of the body. Said end plate has skirt portions 1 6a which extend between the pairs of lugs 11 in alignment with the pivot pins 12.

The ends of the spindles 13 remote from their pivotal axes are located with radial clearance in uniformly spaced radial slots 17 formed in a boss 18 provided adjacent to the rear (in use) end of the body 10, and said spindles are biassed outwardly about their pivot pins 12 by resilient elements, in this instance compression springs 19, located in radial bores 20 extending from the bottom of said radial slots 17.

The spindles 13 are held in position against their spring influence by means of a cylindrical cover 21 fitted rotatably over the boss 18 and provided in its skirt with an axial slot 22.

In rotation of the cover the slot 22 can selectively be brought into register with any of said spindles 13, in which position the respective spindle 13 can be pivoted outwardly about its pivot pin 12 to permit ready replacement of the elements 14. The spring elements 19 are also freed for replacement.

To lock the cover 21 in operative, spindleretaining, position there is provided a lockscrew 23 which is engaged in a screwthreaded, countersunk. radial bore 24 (see more particularly Figure 4) of the boss 18.

The screw 23 has its upper head portion 25 reduced in diameter so as to be substantially equal to the width of the slot 22 of the cover 21. Thus, as shown in Figure 1, said screw can be screwed outwardly until the reduced head part 25 engages in the slot 22 to lock the cover 21 against rotation. It is to be noted that the unreduced head portion of the screw 23. being of a diameter greater than the width of the slot 22, prevents complete unscrewing of the screw which is thus captive and cannot be lost. The countersunk part of the bore 24 permits said screw 23 to be screwed inwardly clear of the cover 21 which then is free to rotate on the boss 18.

The cover 21 is maintained in rotational engagement with the boss 18 by means of a stud 26 extending inwardly from the skirt portion of said cover (see Figure 3) which stud engages in a peripheral groove 27 of the boss 18. Said groove 27 is intersected by all the grooves 17, and thus aligning of the stud 26 with any of said grooves 17, when the lock screw 23 is in its inward position, enables the cover 21, if desired, to be removed from the boss 18.

The rear end of the body 10 is formed with an internally screw-threaded bore 30 for screw attachment to a flexible, or rigid, drive shaft and is provided with flats 31 to facilitate such attachment.

To provide for greater strength in use, that part of the body 10 which extends between the lugs 11 and the boss 18 may be extended laterally between the spindles 13 to increase its cross-sectional area. For instance, in the case of the tool described in the drawings which includes three uniformly disposed spindles 13, the cross-sectional shape of the body 10 can be generally triangular, as opposed to being circular.

It will be seen that a tube cleaning tool according to the invention, may readily be disassembled for replacement of any worn components without the necessity for detaching same from its drive means and this in a minimum of time.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: 1. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, comprising a body, uniformly arranged pairs of lugs extending radially from said body at or adjacent one end thereof, a spindle pivotally anchored on a pivot pin between each pair of said lugs, rotary cutter or other abrading elements replaceably mounted on each of said spindles, a cylindrical boss formed or provided adjacent the other end of said body, radial recesses formed in said boss for receiving the free ends of said spindles, resilient elements for biassing said spindles outwardly about their pivot pins, a cover fitted over said boss to hold said spindle ends against the influence of said resilient elements, and said cover being rotatably located on said boss and having a slot or slots which is or are registrable with said spindles to free same.

2. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in claim 1, provided with means for locking said cover in a position wherein its slot or slots is or are out of register with all said spindles.

3. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for locking said cover comprises a screw engaged with a screw-threaded radial bore formed in the cylindrical boss between two of its grooves, said screw being engageable with

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. ing tool according to the invention; Figure 2 is an end elevation as viewed from the left of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a section as on line A-A of Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a section as on line B-B of Figure 1. Referring to said drawings, 10 denotes the body of the tool which is formed at its forward (in use) end with three pairs of uniformly spaced radial lugs 11, and between each pair of which is pivotally located on a releasable pivot pin 12 a spindle 13. Said spindles 13 each have rotatably mounted thereon a series (in this instance five) of abrading elements 14 the peripheries whereof are suitably grooved or roughened in accordance with the use and type of scale to be encountered. To maintain the pivot pins 12 in position, the end of the body 10 extends beyond the lugs and is screwthreaded as at 10a to receive a lock-nut 15 which holds in position an end plate 16 fitted over the end 10a of the body. Said end plate has skirt portions 1 6a which extend between the pairs of lugs 11 in alignment with the pivot pins 12. The ends of the spindles 13 remote from their pivotal axes are located with radial clearance in uniformly spaced radial slots 17 formed in a boss 18 provided adjacent to the rear (in use) end of the body 10, and said spindles are biassed outwardly about their pivot pins 12 by resilient elements, in this instance compression springs 19, located in radial bores 20 extending from the bottom of said radial slots 17. The spindles 13 are held in position against their spring influence by means of a cylindrical cover 21 fitted rotatably over the boss 18 and provided in its skirt with an axial slot 22. In rotation of the cover the slot 22 can selectively be brought into register with any of said spindles 13, in which position the respective spindle 13 can be pivoted outwardly about its pivot pin 12 to permit ready replacement of the elements 14. The spring elements 19 are also freed for replacement. To lock the cover 21 in operative, spindleretaining, position there is provided a lockscrew 23 which is engaged in a screwthreaded, countersunk. radial bore 24 (see more particularly Figure 4) of the boss 18. The screw 23 has its upper head portion 25 reduced in diameter so as to be substantially equal to the width of the slot 22 of the cover 21. Thus, as shown in Figure 1, said screw can be screwed outwardly until the reduced head part 25 engages in the slot 22 to lock the cover 21 against rotation. It is to be noted that the unreduced head portion of the screw 23. being of a diameter greater than the width of the slot 22, prevents complete unscrewing of the screw which is thus captive and cannot be lost. The countersunk part of the bore 24 permits said screw 23 to be screwed inwardly clear of the cover 21 which then is free to rotate on the boss 18. The cover 21 is maintained in rotational engagement with the boss 18 by means of a stud 26 extending inwardly from the skirt portion of said cover (see Figure 3) which stud engages in a peripheral groove 27 of the boss 18. Said groove 27 is intersected by all the grooves 17, and thus aligning of the stud 26 with any of said grooves 17, when the lock screw 23 is in its inward position, enables the cover 21, if desired, to be removed from the boss 18. The rear end of the body 10 is formed with an internally screw-threaded bore 30 for screw attachment to a flexible, or rigid, drive shaft and is provided with flats 31 to facilitate such attachment. To provide for greater strength in use, that part of the body 10 which extends between the lugs 11 and the boss 18 may be extended laterally between the spindles 13 to increase its cross-sectional area. For instance, in the case of the tool described in the drawings which includes three uniformly disposed spindles 13, the cross-sectional shape of the body 10 can be generally triangular, as opposed to being circular. It will be seen that a tube cleaning tool according to the invention, may readily be disassembled for replacement of any worn components without the necessity for detaching same from its drive means and this in a minimum of time. WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, comprising a body, uniformly arranged pairs of lugs extending radially from said body at or adjacent one end thereof, a spindle pivotally anchored on a pivot pin between each pair of said lugs, rotary cutter or other abrading elements replaceably mounted on each of said spindles, a cylindrical boss formed or provided adjacent the other end of said body, radial recesses formed in said boss for receiving the free ends of said spindles, resilient elements for biassing said spindles outwardly about their pivot pins, a cover fitted over said boss to hold said spindle ends against the influence of said resilient elements, and said cover being rotatably located on said boss and having a slot or slots which is or are registrable with said spindles to free same.

the or a slot of said cover to lock same against rotational movement on said boss.

4. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in claim 3, wherein said screw is held captive in engagement with said boss by said cover, outward movement of said screw serving to lock said cover and inward movement to free same.

5. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in claim 2, wherein said cover may be locked in position by means of a headed screw working in an arcuate slot in the end face of the cover and engaged in a screwthreaded axial bore of said boss, said arcuate slot having a counter-sunk portion for receiving the head of said screw when tightened thereby to lock the cover against movement on said boss.

6. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pivot pins of said spindles are maintained in position by an end plate held in position by a nut fitted to a screw-threaded part of said body, said end plate having skirt portions which extend between said pairs of lugs in alignment with the pivot pins thereof.

7. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said resilient elements are located in radial bores extending from the bottom of the radial slots of said boss.

8. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in claim 7, wherein said resilient elements are helical compression springs.

9. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in claim 7, wherein said resilient elements comprise rubber or other resilient bushes.

10. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said cover is located in rotational engagement with said boss by means of a stud extending inwardly from a skirt portion of said cover which stud engages in a peripheral groove of said boss.

11. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein that part of said body which extends between the pairs of lugs and said cylindrical boss is generally of triangular cross-sectional shape.

12. A tool for cleaning the bores of tubes, substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings.